INTRO:-



With the HA2 I received another earphone, HA2 has a BA, this one has a Dynamic driver and is nowhere close to HA2 when it comes to Sound signature.

Before everything let me make it clear that Wooduo 2 is not a new earphone by an means, its been in the market for a long time and has pleased toughest of reviewers with its bass prowess and all-round ability. For some, it doesn’t have a MIC version sadly.

Wooduo 2 is a bass monster in short. Bass head's delight and is a must have for a bass head.

This earphone comes in red only sadly, if you don’t like red.. tough luck. Priced $99 it's not exactly expensive but let's see how it stacks up against newer earphones like Rockjaw Alfa genus, IM-70 and Shozy Zero.

I will call it duo 2 onwards.

You can get one for yourself from these sites :-
http://www.ebay.com/itm/380545230996?rmvSB=true
http://penonaudio.com/Hisoundaudio-WOODUO-2
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Hisoundaudio-WOODUO-2-HW2-IEMs-Audiophile-HiFi-Grade-In-ear-Earphones/32597200663.html

Before we start I would like to thank Jack Fu and Hisoundaudio for this sample unit.

ACCESSORIES ERGONOMICS AND MISCELLANEOUS:-






Duo 2 comes with plenty of accessories which includes 3 pairs of single flange rubber tips, 3 pairs of bi flange tips, a pair of triple flange tips, a cable clip and a hard sided carry case. It feels complete but a pair of foam tips could have made this an awesome package, still, its plenty. Now the earphone lacks cable slider, not a big deal though.

Duo 2 has wooden back and metal nozzle, it looks awesome and feels strong too, Y splitter and 3.5 mm jack are if minimal size. The flat cable is strong but its bouncy and induces Microphonics which is bothering at times. There are stress relievers at the earphone end but no stress relievers at the 3.5 mm jack or y splitter. the only air vent is placed at the bottom of the driver dome.

Ergonomically, being a straight barrel, it's nothing much you can ask for.

Isolation too is really nice with silicone tips.

SOUND QUALITY:-

Now first thing first, Duo 2 is seriously bass, one of the best bassy earphone I have ever came across. It has a warm and neutral signature.

Just to clear the air, I have burned these for more than 100 hrs and I am using single flange tips and after market foam tips for this review as the single flange tips tend to fall off my ears.
WooDuo 2 doesn’t need any type of amping to sound at its best.

Bass:-

As I said earlier Duo 2 is bass heavy, takes the center stage of the whole signature, it has oozing amount of bass with awesome body to it., goes as deep as things can get, there is plenty of rumble with awesome amount of air and the impact is excellent, it’s a word I rarely use but the thing is that this impact donest bring any mid bass with it and doesn’t lack in depth. Its just pure amount of sub bass and some lower mid bass. Even the most demanding bass lover will find this earphone satisfying.

IM-70 or even the hisound crystals are not bass lite but they bow out to Wooduo's visceral bass. It's just beautiful and awesome. Nothing like anything that I has experienced. most of the time earphones with heavy bass tend to bring mid bass with them but this doesn’t. It's just clean and thumping amount of bass. You are not going to miss even a single lower end note, it's just won't miss any and is awesomely detailed too.

Being one of the bassiest earphone in the market, its surprisingly controlled and clean when compared to Alfa genus or AD2 or even IM-70. Yes it lacks the decay of a BA or say Re-400 but it's better than many in this price.

Each and every music lover will enjoy this piece of beauty.

Mid range:-

When we talk about bassy earphones, we come up with a thought that they might have some problems with mid range, it will be either drowned or it will be lacking details but this is not the case here. Its not as V shaped as one would expect it to be. It is more up with the spectrum than most bassy earphones and thanks to the controlled mid bass, its sounds cleaner. Over all clarity is very good and has good amount of details too.

Vocals on this earphone is really nice, sounds organic and lively with plenty of substance and texture.

You cannot expect exceptional refinement with this much of bass, but duo 2 handles complex tracks well for an earphone with the sound signature.

Let it be imaging, layering, presentation, separation or instrument placing, everything is good, just not as good as something like Re-400. Its sonic abilities too are really close to RE4-00.

Sound stage is big for a small dynamic earphone, it's one of the biggest I have come across. It does lacks some height but makes up with awesome width and depth.

All in all, you will enjoy these mids.

Highs:-

Highs on Duo2 is slightly more emphasized than mids which makes these sound more detailed, unlike other bass heavy earphone, has good amount of spark. It has nice bite and sharpness, its more like crispy and slightly edgy.

Has some spikes but not big enough to induce sibilance, extension too is good.

Compliments the whole signature nicely.

Comparison:-

Vs Shozy Zero:- Duo 2 has more more bass, more impact and rumble and better top end extension with spark, has slightly better body and organic sound. Has bigger stage too.
Zero has better balance and sounds more detailed with better transparency.

VS RE-400:- Duo 2 has huge bass in comparison, everything about its bass is more more than RE-400. Doesn’t have graininess in the mids, has slightly more spark up top.
RE-400 has serious amount of balance, details and clarity, has Super fast decay and sonically its exceptional. Has better top end extension, and doesn’t sound edgy.

VS Alfa Genus:- Duo 2 has more bass, similar sub bass, doesn’t have mid bass hump, mids are more meaty, slightly better details, better top end extension and clarity.
Alfa has better cable, less microphonics and has an optional MIC version.

Conclusion:-
Wooduo 2 is a bass heads dream come true. It can take any type of music and make it enjoyable. I love this earphone, my only problem with this is that it has some microphonics, which is bothering a bit.
All I have to say is that, if you love bass, You got to have this.
Cheers guys!! Enjoy.

Credit goes to: MR. DSD
picture c/o: MR. DSD








The Hisound HA2 & Wooduo HW2

Things at my disposal:
Creative Soundblaster ZXR (dedicated PC sound card / DAC)
Roland SRA-5050 (Professional Grade Integrated Amplifier)
Lake People Phone Amp G109-A, 30th Anniv. Edition (Dedicated Heaphone Amp)
Audioquest - Golden Gate Mini-to-RCA (0.6m)
Sansa Fuze (Portable DAP)
Dita 3.5mm jack to 6.3mm jack adapter (accessory included by DITA)
Foobar2000 (Dedicated Music App)
New SpeakerHeadphone Burn In Track. Pink Noise, Brown Noise and White Noise. Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3CiZxstvEA

Keeping in mind that the iem's are special in their own terms and make, each came fresh thus needing some stretching in order to be appreciated. The HA2, which boasts its second generation Balance Armature and the Wooduo HW2 has a strong Dynamic Driver built in. Before one can realize the full potential of both the iem's, I have dedicated a conservative 4 hours "burn in" time. I have also painstakingly chose the right ear tips to match the opening without flooding the other audible frequencies, at least on what I can sense and perceive.

The Roland SRA-5050 gave a hell of a workout to both of the iem's. The integrated amp receives its unbalanced audio output from the RCA of my soundcard. I have laid in a pair of QED Reference Audio 40 as my interconnects. I set the volume pot at 12 o'clock, 50% volume on the Creative Soundblaster ZXR and let Foobar2000 make a lot of noise while playing "New SpeakerHeadphone Burn In Track. Pink Noise, Brown Noise and White Noise" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3CiZxstvEA). Expect it to be annoying, just them leave isolated for a while.

I used a pair of silicon tips for the HA2, and a matching couple of foam tips for the Wooduo HW2, kindly refer to the pictures provided.

As I said earlier, the diameter of the canal should not be mired by opening of the ear tips. I believe that the sound resonating from the drivers should flow in liberty. It would beat the purpose of and the design of each of the iem's if I would be hearing from the funnel like response at the other end of the tip. In short, I want to lessen any elements for me to take benefit from the experience.



Both iem's are POWER HUNGRY! I adamantly believe that both iem's were built to synergize with the Hisoundaudio Studio S6. I was lucky enough to have a Lake People Phone Amp G109-A, 30th Anniv. Edition, which is known for its neutrality, by simply not adding coloration to your listening pleasure. The headphone amp can drive a majority of professional grade cans. The Amp produces an impressive transparency and the frequency range is believable. As I a plug in the iem's alternately, I've notice that the right headphone-in is suitable than that of the left. I am not quite sure why, however I found the right hole to be less "agressive" and is less piercing to the ear drums. I love it when everything is silent, meaning no hisses when my Sansa Fuze is playing no songs. Plus, Lake People Phone Amp G109-A is made in Germany.

After a conservative 4 hrs., the stiff HA2 is now agreeable. The HA2 having BA driver(s) is expected to be fast and timely. It offers considerable amount of transparency, picks up minute details and the rhythm of the majority of the music, regardless of the genre, I throw in it. It is clean sounding without sacrificing the mids. I prefer the term "crisp" to politely describe the totality of its tone. I found myself turning the pot to nearly to 12 o'clock, it is the same degree when I listening to my full size can mid-fi Grado PS500. You can check the specification below.



Do not expect to dig deep on the lower frequencies. It may tap or stump (lightly) and expect nothing lower. People who are into acoustic will love these micro speakers. Any decay or reverberation will depend on your preferred AMPs and DACs, however I am pretty confident that the energetic and lively presentation won't disappoint. Depending on how a song was Mastered, the HA2 might sound sibilant at some point. Rock Music such as the Queen's "Princes of the Universe" sound sharp on the parts of the Electric Guitar. But hey, I can distinguish the separation of instruments the band is playing. It is satisfying. Nothing is there to hide, again, separation is good close to excellent, not quite though. If it is not for the packaging, I'll be fooled what I am listening into is a BA driven iem. Most BA iem's I have auditioned lacks that "natural" tone. The HA2 does not masked nor compensate for the bad recording of your music, it is honest, oftentimes. It neither sound clinical nor bland, it gives this impression for me to be excited, yes, that builds up as the music plays by. Bass, where is the bass? It is there, again it is light, I don't yearn to hear more. It is rather substantially there.

For atleast $99.00, it is basically made out of plastic. I am not sure how durable the wires are or how they are made for the unit to last long. Nothing too fancy, I guess. However, BA drivers are cost more to produce than the dynamic counterpart. Perhaps, the cost of making the second gen. may justify the price. Or the R&D Hisound has invested. Unless the Hisound openly brings out what makes it extra special, I'll just keep on guessing. I learned a lot by not judging a book by its cover.

On the other side of the spectrum, the Wooduo HW2 is a Bass prodigy. It has its own set of skills that a number connoisseur would find irresistible. As I mentioned above, the iem was also given same treatment as the HA2. My first impression, before the minimal 4 hr. "burn in", of the iem was piercing in some Audiophile Voices tracks and the bass tends to be out of control. The bass was heavily bloated and somewhat hard to distinguished the "layers" of the lower spectrum of the frequency.





The Wooduo HW2 having dynamic drivers is expected to have a mid to low range impact. What makes the HW2 bashing on the lower spectrum, of what is considered audible, is its wooden body construction analogous to great vintage speakers. Popular iem's with similar, at least basing on what I have personally auditioned, like Japanese JVC fx700 and fx850 are of parallel sound signature. They are sibilant to my ears and can satisfy one's craving for impactful layered bass, not to mention pleasurable dynamics. Okay, how can I compare the $200 to $300 + iem's to the Chinese counterpart? At a measly $65, the wooden construction, flat red chords (eyecatching), a hard shell case, a "cablemanger" and pairs of ear tips are enough for the price to material ratio. Soundwise, the JVC's has more texture and authority for your music and are more energetic. The JVC's present a better sense of soundstage than the Wooduo. The HW2 is smaller in size, BUT, one won't expect a "BIG" sound for its size. To achieve that sound, I prefer the foam tips as the perfect match for the Wooduo's potential to shine. The iem is neither a detail freak, nor some diva vocalist. It is intended to be fun, non - fatiguing, and therefore fit for long hours of listening. The Bass prodigy digs deep but not tight. I care less of what certain frequency is in favor of because I lack tools and expertise to present an empirical data. I just trust my ears and my emotions I attached to familiar music pieces I often thirst for a deep bass. Subjective, I am.

Jazz enthusiast who are yearning to hear jazz string percussions won't run short of. It is not the most accurate, however it is utterly satisfying. Bass is plenty, and heck after that 4 hour burn in, quantity shifts to quality. The bass prodigy is learning additional "skills" and its "talent" refined to "a certain extent." Highs are smoother and I am still hoping it be velvety as I use it over time. To the less challenged when it comes to bass, this iem is definitely for you! I found myself turning the volume knob to 10 o'clock to push the Wooduo HW2 to sing. Deep Bass is pumping and rolling in the track like "Satisfaction", the dynamics is so awesome. I won't say that the bass is ear shattering, don't mind it. You just feel it whenever it is present. You tap with mid-bass to the point that one internalizes the subtle sub frequencies. I like it. I am not a Basshead to start with. Sheesh!




I therefore conclude that Hisound is doing its best to cater audiophiles by not being too fancy. HA2 & Wooduo HW2 are siblings positioned on the opposite ends of the pole. Both have their followers that would satisfy on what they intended to, considering the vast genres available from your music source. However, one must not forget that Hisound has a Digital Audio Player and is bound to synergize with both the iem's in order for them to show their full potential. I am lucky enough to have an Amp, which I believe to have a sound signature close to the S6. Lake People G109-A is neutral and frequency range is fantastic. This the closest I can get to the Hisound S6 though the Studio - V is what I can resource from the back of my mind. Lastly, Hisound made it simple and direct for audiophiles to appreciate. I would recommend both the iem's for starters and for those who needs a breather from their proud and luxurious toys. Thank you.

Removed.

These headphones have powerful bass (comes with a lot of ommph) which is good and lets honest if your interested in these earphones main reason will be for the bass 
 
For listening to music such as Pop and dubstep these are very good as the beat/bass just comes alive.
For rock I found them good but not excellent.
For classical and new age music its OK I found them a little too fun and bright and somewhat disorientates the presentation. 
Jazz and blues again I find them OK but there's sometimes too much bass and affect the song overall negatively.
 
All in all fun headphones and if you mainly listen to Pop and Dubstep (or anything bass heavy) then these are perfect.
 
Thanks for reading 

(This review is dedicated to Music_4321 for his outstanding contributions on Head-Fi)
 
Before I begin I would like to mention that I have no ties to HiSoundAudio or the headphone industry in any way. I’m just a hobbyist who loves music and IEMs.
 
No doubt about it; this is a great sounding in-ear monitor. Definitely hi fidelity! Not just relative to its price but also in comparison to my most expensive IEMs costing more than US $1000 each. However, this is not a neutral reference IEM but instead tuned for a very enjoyable, pleasant and non fatiguing sound and it manages to be so without ever becoming boring or dull. Plus, this is the only IEM in my collection that is able to do some serious justice to my most sub-bass demanding tracks, like for example “Tubular World” from the album “The Songs of Distant Earth” by Mike Oldfield. As a matter of fact, this track can sound a bit boring with my reference phones. However, the Wooduo 2 is not a bass monster. The bass is well controlled, never muddy or bloated.The treble sparkle is just right without any harshness. Overall, this is a clear but not overly bright sounding IEM, and it has a touch of airiness to it as well. The resolution and transparency is excellent. If you prefer a wide soundstage the Wooduo 2 will not disappoint and instrument separation is superb. The Wooduo 2 is vented and probably helps the sound to flow effortlessly. It should be noticed that the impact of the bass is somewhat volume dependent. At low volumes the bass may pass as close to "normal", at normal volumes it is very deep and present (as described above) whereas at really high volumes the bass does sound a bit overwhelming, however still very impressive.
 
Sonically, the Sennheiser CX-300 IEM (approx. US $30)  - which is also considered a very bass capable IEM and one that I’ve used and enjoyed for many years - is utterly outclassed by the Wooduo 2.
 
In comparison to the included olive shaped tips – which are quite excellent - I recommend the T-400 Comply foam tips. All other included tips were too small for my ears. As expected, the Comply foam tips improve the isolation, but more importantly facilitate a deep fit which improves transparency, resolution, imaging, and instrument separation. Not all IEMs benefit from a deeper fit but the Wooduo 2 does. Also, the Comply foam tips add a tad more treble sparkle. I’d expected the opposite, but evidently not so. A word of caution tough; a too deep fit will make the bass and midrange somewhat anemic. You may need to do a little bit of experimenting to find the perfect insertion depth.
 
Midrange instruments and vocals projected in the center of the soundstage tend to sound a bit recessed but crisp. This gives the strings of string instruments a clear (but not unpleasant) bite. However vocals can sound a bit lacking in body, perhaps even a bit unnatural, but not at all to the extent that it’s a problem. However, in my experience this characteristic diminishes with burn in.
 
Midrange coherency is not perfect and can be noticed with center stage solo instruments, for example an acoustic guitar. It can on occasion give an impression that upper midrange and lower midrange notes come from two different guitars with slightly different resonant bottoms. This may sound as a serious problem, but it really isn’t. It’s really just noticed if you have trained your hearing, focus on coherency, and have a more coherently sounding IEM to compare with, such as for example the FitEar ToGo 334, which costs approximately US $1.350. Again, this characteristic seems to diminish with burn in
 
Instrumental music (Kraftwerk, Jean Michel Jarre, Yello, Mike Oldfield, etc.) and the Wooduo 2 is a marvelous match. Opera, chamber music and symphonic music and the Wooduo 2 goes very well together too. Most, but not all concertos sound perfectly fine as well. In my opinion, music having a fast, throbbing and dominating bass quickly becomes annoying with this IEM.
 
The Wooduo 2 is small, light-weight and very comfortable to wear and the build quality is more than adequate. Unfortunately the cable is somewhat noisy (microphonic) when worn in front. However, it can also be comfortably worn behind the ears despite its cable being flat. This practically eliminates all cable noise. To make the cable stay in place behind the ears I’ve placed a rubber band just above the Y-split. The rubber band can then be adjusted by rolling it up and down on the cable. It may not look so great but it actually works pretty well and better than I thought it would.
 

 
Now - a week later - I’ve found an even better working and better looking solution by using a piece of plastic-wire, the kind that is commonly used to wind up cables in packaging for electronics.
 
 

 
I’m afraid the build quality isn’t quite what I felt it was initially. While changing tips I held on to the rosewood part and it separated partly from the metallic nozzle part forming a small gap. However, I could easily clue it back with a small brush using some super glue. Fortunately it had no negative impact on the sound as the driver sits safely inside the metallic nozzle part. Since the super glue is stronger than the original glue it won't happen again. Nevertheless, when changing tips I recommend holding it in the nozzle part.
 
For the price this IEM is a no brainer that I highly recommend, especially for those tracks that crave a deep, impactful, yet well controlled bass.
 
Thank you for reading this review. If in any way it was useful to you, please give it a “thumbs up” or otherwise let me know. Thank you!

I know there have been a few reviews of these kicking around, and I thought I would offer my views on them.

Foreword:
 
I'm a production manager, but focus mostly on sound engineering and installations. I install and tune a lot of P.A equipment, and also mix live acts. My work environments consist mainly of:

- live venues,
- concert halls,
- bars
- nightclubs.
- festivals
- events

I've taken a huge liking to headphones - IEM's in particular. I like the idea of having my own personal PA system that I can take with me anywhere. With Rockbox being in such advanced stages, and such great low-impedance portable amps coming out, you can really seem to get any sound signature you wish out of a portable rig.

Enter, the HiSoundAudio WooDuo 2.
 


HiSoundAudio is a Chinese based company, responsible for products such as the Studio V portable DAP, which has been recieving fairly warm reviews around forums such as head-fi.

Packaging and accessories:

A pretty regular brown cardboard box, with a description on the back:


The tip selection is pretty healthy, and it came with a solid storage case:
 

 

 

 

 
And it's also compatible with my T-400 comply tips, which I personally preferred, but more on that later.

It also came with this fish. Possibly for cable management. Hilarious!
 

 


Build quality:
 

 

 

 

 

 

Excellent. Great flat-ribbon cable, that produces little microphonics (Less than the Thinksound line, but more than the Westone cables do). The wood looks great, too. The nozzle is a perfect fit for the T-400 comply tips (not pictured), so there isn't much more I could ask for, really. The jack is solid, and the entire set is incredibly lightweight.

Feel/comfort:

Super comfortable – as much as I hate to say it, but for me personally, these are more comfortable than:
Westone 3
Westone UM3X
Thinksound MS-01.
 
Honestly, I'm not sure where it comes from. It surprised me, comfort isn't something I usually notice with IEM's, it either usually “works” or doesn't. I will put this down to the lightweight ribbon cable. The units barely even feel like they are in my ears.

This makes them a perfect companion for exercising, at the gym or jogging (if that's what you're into...)

Sound:

I know it is an odd way to give a summary, but if I had to describe the sound signature in two words, they would be “home theatre”.

Bass: Warm, driving, strong, layered and emphasised. Definitely bass-heavy, depending on what tips you use. To me, this is what IEM bass should feel like. I prefer a fun sound, I personally don't like listening to flat-response gear for fun. The bass in this IEM is heaving in quantity, but it's so smooth, nicely textured and warm that it's definitely not unwelcome. I don't find it creeping too far into the midrage. It responds incredibly well to electronic music. Synthetic bass seems to resonate perfectly with the 9mm driver. I honestly can't believe I'm saying this, but I wish that my Westone 3's had bass like this.

Mids: Forward, warm, accurate. I find this is the one aspect of the IEM that isn't coloured. They have an almost “realistic” feel. Some would imagine that purely by the agressive characteristics of the bass, that these units would produce a midrage that is muddy or recessed – this is simply untrue. The accurate, lush mids are very revealing of any tracks that have a lower bitrate.The lower-mids are slightly more forward than the mid-highs – this may contribute to the “warm” feel of these IEMs. As there is little to no stereo-crosstalk of these IEM's, the mids are definitely contributing to the sound-stage. They are incredibly detailed, and will bring out plenty of nuance in any of your well recorded/mastered files.

Highs: Very tip-dependant. I found these IEM's on-the-whole to be very tip dependant. In any respect, the highs have a definite “sparkle” to them, as the box blurb would depict. No evident roll-off, and some definite emphasis here. Not enough to call the sound-signature “U” shaped - I feel that the signature is actually a lot more complicated than that. Whilst some may experience sibilance with an incorrect seal, using the correct tip will eliminate this, and be very rewarding. Again, I found that the medium olive tips gave me a sufficient seal, but the complies were perfect. The combination of the mids and highs will contribute to the overall fantastic level of detail and naunce in these IEMs. Be prepared for a very revealing experience.

Overall subjective conclusion of the sound: Very engaging, and intimate. Definitely comparable to a home theatre rather than a home studio – but that's exactly what some people prefer from dynamic IEMs. Great warmth, a bass-heads dream, but with forward, detailed mids, extended, crisp highs, and a decent sparkle to boot. Probably some of the best detail, instrument separation and sound-stage that I've found using a single dynamic driver IEM.

Conclusion:

Anyone looking at the Dr. Dre lineup of IEM's should definitely consider these instead. The bass is amazing, and very forward – but without a muddy mid-section, or rolled-off highs. Great looks, lightweight, great comfort, and as many others have said, are definitely cheaper than they should be, which is all you could really want from an IEM in this price bracket.

I picked these up from Noisy Motel in Melbourne (http://www.noisymotel.com/product.asp?ProductID=505), and are currently selling for $129.
 

One word summary: FUN

To be honest, I had never heard of HiSoundAudio before I stumbled on these.  I'm very happy with my Klipsh X10's and Sennheiser IE8's, but I'm always looking for new and unique flavors of earbuds and these Wooduo2's caught my attention.  I don't consider myself a bass-head but I enjoy a little extra on the low end; all the reviews on these HiSounds were praising the bass, spotted a new pair of these for $80 and took a chance.

I've been using these IEMs for a couple weeks, and I haven't even looked at my IE8's or X10's.  I appreciate accurate reproduction and instrument separation as much as the next audiophile, but sometimes the typical flat/natural hifi sound can become...predictable, almost.  These wooden devils remind you why you first got into music in the first place...FUN  The bass is as good as advertised...depth, range, punch, balance, everything you want on the low end from a pair of earbuds.  In my opinion, this is the most bass you can provide and still have a balanced and enjoyable experience.   10% stronger and I'm not sure I would like them as much.

I listen to everything save country/pop, all genres are interesting on these Wooduo2's, but electronic, dance, hip hop, and R&B really shine through these bad boys.  I must have said "wow" a dozen times when I first plugged them in and browsed through my library.

They are very comfortable, they seal well and easily (for my ears), the microphonics are very good even without the clip, the cable is tangle resistant, the build quality feels solid.

Really the only negative thing I could say about these is that the bass might actually be too awesome.  I like bass and I consider these borderline-fatiguing bass.  Klipsch X10s you can listen to dawn to dusk and forget they're there (besides the horrible microphonics, but that's another review), these HiSounds, I dunno maybe not.  These are not for everyone.  

If you listen to mostly hip-hop and/or R&B, do yourself a favor and skip the Fashion Statement By Dre products and pick up a pair of these.  These still look awesome and they sound three times as good for a third of the price.  Don't follow the herd.

Now if you listen to mostly electronic music (like me), congratulations, you just found your new favorite earbuds

Incredible value for the price, highly recommended.

Introduction

First, I’d like to thank the folks at HiSoundAudio for sending me a sample of the Wooduo 2 in ear monitors for review.
 
HiSoundAudio is a Chinese based headphone and earphone brand I came across on Head-Fi, much like HiFiMan and VSONIC. After reading up on the company and its offerings, I was quite intrigued when I came across the Wooduo 2 IEMs, which were described by some as “true basshead IEMs”. Being the self-professed basshead I am, I was admittedly excited to give these a whirl. Upon receiving them, I couldn’t help but notice the phrase “Unbeatable Sound Quality” in large bold red letters written across the package. An audacious claim, to be sure, so, does it live up to the lofty expectations its packaging creates? Read on to find out.
 
 
Accessories: These come with seven pairs of silicone tips including a set of triple flange tips, two sets of biflanges in small and medium and standard round single flange tips. In addition, HisoundAudio includes a branded shirt clip, a bright blue cable winder and a zippered clamshell carry case.
 
Design and Build Quality: Made of African rosewood with metal nozzles, short rubber strain reliefs, and a bright red flat cable. Normally I’m not a fan of flat cables but these were unobtrusive and more flexible than many others I’ve encountered.
 
Comfort and Isolation: Being straight barrel IEMs, they are easy to insert but I did find them to be rather finicky when it came to the fit. Without a good fit, these are prone to a bit of driver flex I’ve come to expect from wooden IEMs. Personally, I wasn’t able to get a perfect seal with any of the silicone tips and ended up using a pair of Monster foam SuperTips. With the foam tips, achieving a perfect seal was much easier and isolation was slightly above average for a dynamic IEM and microphonics were mostly negligible.
 

Sound Quality

Burn in: These were burned in for about 100 hours prior to review and I did notice that the bass tightened (very) slightly and some slight sibilance I noticed in the upper mids disappeared.
 
Let’s get right to it. The Wooduo 2 is capable of some savagely powerful bass. I’m not kidding or exaggerating. This is about the biggest and most bombastic bass I’ve heard next to those cars that sometimes roll by at two in the morning, blasting some song or another with the sub turned up so high the car threatens to shake itself apart with each thunderous bass note.
 
This is the kind of bass bassheads dream about. It’s rich, detailed, extends about as low as I can hear and has enough power to knock loose some fillings. Okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration but against the Atrio M5, Miles Davis Tribute, these are the clear winners in terms of sheer quantity of bass, even if they aren’t quite as detailed as those two.
 
 
All that bass does come with a cost, however, and much of that cost comes from the midrange. The mids are recessed, though not quite as much as I would’ve expected given the magnitude of the bass. The midrange presentation is expectedly warm and the low end does manage to creep into the lower mids somewhat but not offensively so. Micro detail is still good, on par with the Thinksound MS01 and DUNU Tai-Chi and nearly on the level of the RE-ZERO. Vocals sound a bit off in some cases but not necessarily unpleasantly so. Despite the huge bass, there is a nice amount of clarity and spaciousness present in the midrange and the Wooduo 2 does an impressive job of separating the bass from the rest of the sound signature.
 
Moving up, the highs of the W2 are surprisingly clear and detailed. They’re not really sparkly or bright but they are delicate and articulate. Treble is slightly emphasized over the mids but not to the point that I’d call these V-shaped, like the Moshi Vortex, for example, presenting a take on the high end that’s both well extended and decently linear in nature.
 
What we end up with is a presentation that’s slightly on the dark side of the spectrum and definitely warm in tone but not excessively so. These aren’t the most transparent sounding IEMs but they’re obviously not intended to be either. Linearity was clearly not the target of the Wooduo 2 and the result is a sound signature that’s clearly bass biased but mostly even handed. It doesn’t present detail on the level of my best IEMs but its sound signature is, at least for me, incredibly fun and addictive.
 

Conclusion

For the MSRP of $129, the HiSoundAudio Wooduo 2 is a great deal for bassheads who want the absolute biggest bass for the money and others who appreciate a warm and musical sound that sacrifices pure accuracy for an intentionally colored and enjoyable sound signature. Is its sound quality as “unbeatable” as the packaging prominently advertises? No. That’s not to say it isn’t good or even great, but I’ve heard better. Around the MSRP, there are some darn good IEMs, like the RE-400 that are better all-rounders but the Wooduo 2 is likely the more consumer friendly product with its bass driven sound signature, warm sound and clean presentation.
 
This review was re-posted from my site Musical Musings